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Monday, December 16, 2013

The last day of the convention: Bibi Netanyah speaks to our Biennial.

Our conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Sunday Morning the final program was a Satellite speech with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There were several agendas going on behind the scenes. First, forget about the reports about his decision not to visit with us which was
reported in the Press. That issue is not critical. The first purpose was to
demonstrate two goals. First, Rabbi Jacobs has the authority and power to get
Bibi to speak to us. Second, despite those early claims that Rabbi Jacobs was a
totally left leaning Israel advocate who protested with the Palestinians, this
was his chance to show he is a moderate now.
Politics- always politics.

Jacobs stood up on stage and introduced the Prime Minister
heaping praise on him for his work to open up the Western Wall for access to
all in communal prayer. He complimented him for being 2nd longest
serving Prime Minister since Ben Gurion. Then Netanyahu started to give it back
to Jacobs for all his good work for Israel. All of this was for the crowd to
bolster Jacobs and calm down the right wing in the movement who think of
Jacobs, with some justification, as a sympathizer to Palestinians as victims of the Israeli army's occupation of the West Bank Arab communities and as an opponent of all Jewish settlements.

I wonder if Netanyahu also realized that he needs as much
support from American Jewry as possible as stands against the world with regard
to Iran and the current negotiations that the American administration is involved in.
Maybe his media advisors are counseling him that now he can’t take anyone for
granted. By the way this was the first time that a sitting Israeli Prime
Minister addressed our Biennial. Last time it was President Obama who showed
up. The difference between the reaction to him then and the courteous and respectful
reaction ( not especially enthusiastic) of our assembly to Netanyahu was noticeable. This is definitely not an AIPAC group.My sense is that many Reform Jews are
against the settlements on the West Bank and want Rabbi Jacobs to stay true to his previous actions and words but now he, like all politicians, moves to the center to maintain peace.
I think, on the other hand, that Netanyahu’s position has more standing in our movement than the
current leadership elite both clerical and lay leadership share in common about
Netanyahu on Iran and the settlements. This is definitely a touchy issue. But the point was that both men benefited from the opportunity to address the biennial, but, for different reasons.

What were his three points?

He wants a negotiated
settlement that takes away Iran’s capability to develop weapons and their
ability to manufacture any weapons. There is a difference between the two
issues.

He discussed the issue of
the Palestinians and negotiations. He says he is willing to make historic
and difficult compromises but he needs to see that the current leadership
of the PA truthfully will recognize Israel as a Jewish state as much as
Israel must recognize the new state of the PA. He says the issue is not the settlements
as much as it is the deep seated inability of the PA to recognize Israel
as a Jewish state and that they cannot return to Jaffa. That is a non-starter.

The final point is finding
peace between Jews. He skipped over all the big issues that consume
Israelis. Instead he focused on what he thought we wanted to hear which is
that the area surrounding the Kotel must be open to everyone because it
belongs to all the Jewish people. He also complimented Rabbi Jacobs for
his help in working for compromise with his government to achieve a
solution.

Finally Netanyahu
complimented the Reform movement and NFTY for all its work in Israel.

The fact is that he is a fantastic
speaker and salesman. He did a great job in bolstering Jacobs, speaking to us
of his viewpoints on Iran and addressed the public worship space and equal access
for women at the Kotel.

His humor and swagger is a part and
parcel of who he is. He was clear, positive and determined to see this current
negotiation through. He warned us all of the implications for war in the Middle
East from other nations who would surely obtain nuclear weapons if Iran
develops a bomb.

Great talk and I will let you the
reader come to your own conclusions about the issue of the Netanyahu and Obama administration
positions on the Iran negotiations and talks with the PA.